Consumers drive retailers' hours

Normally, the only thing that could interrupt Thanksgiving dinner was if the family pet got a hold of the turkey before the humans did.

That's not true anymore.

As the holiday shopping season gets under way, retailers are quickly becoming a big distraction on turkey day. In fact, Black Friday - the day traditionally known as the kickoff of the holiday season - has given way to Grey Thursday (aren't there any brighter colors to use?) as retailers aim at discounts for early shoppers.

This, of course, makes retail employees grumpier than the Grinch, since many will have to leave their family gatherings to work on Thanksgiving Night, and still others, who want to relax and enjoy the final few moments of the holiday, are up and running around stores looking for an extra few bucks off the hottest gifts of the season.

But, can we blame the retailers?

Last year, a few stores pushed the hours back on their Black Friday offerings and infringed on the Thanksgiving holiday, but they couldn't do so if people weren't willing to shop at those times and look for the deals they offer. When you consider that last holiday season brought in a record $52 billion to the retail industry, it's clear that stores have to do everything within their power to create a better experience for their customers. Earlier shopping hours are just part of the plan to help their companies stay on top in a very competitive landscape.

Don't count out the social aspect either. Many groups of shoppers plan the trips weeks in advance and map out their plans, complete with eating in the same breakfast spot or even wearing special hats or other clothing.

Until the parking lots are no longer full and the lines no longer snake around the store, there's no incentive for any retailer to change the hours back. And why should they? It's up to the consumers to decide whether they feel the late Thursday night hours are impacting the enjoyment of a holiday spent with family.

Detractors will say that Thanksgiving is becoming as commercial as Christmas, Easter and even Valentine's Day. That might be true, but let's not blame the retailers, they've simply met the demand the consumers supplied.

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Consumers drive retailers' hours

Normally, the only thing that could interrupt Thanksgiving dinner was if the family pet got a hold of the turkey before the humans did. That's not true anymore.